Hello Dad
by Kay Kylo
Summary: Rating may change. Yuki's heart was broken. He knew he would find healing, but never did he expect to find it in the word "Uncle".
1. The Problem

Greetings to you, Reader.  
  
If you have found your way in here accidentally, most servers have a back button, therefore reversing your mistake, but I would prefer that you stick around.  
  
If you have found your way in here because my summary intrigued you, I'm glad that you cared enough to see what my crazed mind has come up with.  
  
If you are confused about the relationship between the summary and title, tell me and I will attempt to reverse it.  
  
I'm going to warn you ahead of time: BUMPY AND VAGUE AT THE BEGINNING!!! If confused, a reader should review and ask questions! I have question and answer session periodically if I get enough questions.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
Summary: Yuki's heart was broken. He knew he'd find healing, but never did he expect to find it in the word, "Uncle."  
  
Hello Dad  
  
______________________  
  
Yuki suspected that there was something between Tohru and Kyo, but he refused to believe that it would eventually push him from Tohru's caring circle. It extended to Ayame even. Surely he would always feel her love.  
  
That was before the night that changed him entirely. It had been late, and he had checked on Tohru to find that she was not in her bed. Nervous, he walked around the house, hoping to find Tohru around.  
  
And he did, but it nearly killed him to see her. She was sitting on the roof -with Kyo. That baka neko was kissing her and she was returning his kiss in full. Suddenly, Tohru slipped and Kyo turned into a cat. She only laughed and found her footing before she slipped off the roof to a balcony that led to Kyo's room. The cat grabbed his clothes in his mouth and trotted after her.  
  
Yuki never checked on Tohru again.  
  
___________________________  
  
Yuki knew it before he had it confirmed. He had lost to Kyo. The darn cat had finally beaten him. Tohru really did like those guys that hurt her to show that they liked her. Within a day of finding out, he had returned to his shell, keeping to himself in his garden, in a corner, reading, away from any contact with any talking creatures. The birds would cry out to him in plaintive tunes, echoing the crying of his heart, but that was the only sound he would suffer to hear from a living thing.  
  
His flowers were his sole reason for living. His garden was all that made him get up in the morning. Even then, it was questionable if that would get him out of the bed where he could simply sleep away the time.  
  
His appetite disappeared, and then when he started to lose interest in even his garden, he knew he had a problem. The part of his mind that wanted to live and forget the girl that had ripped him apart inside started to think of something that might save him. Maybe another garden would do the trick.  
  
Slowly, he started to develop another garden further into the woods, hoping that no one would ever discover it. It would be his secret get-away, to run to when everything was tough.  
  
To his surprise, it did the trick. There was a lot of work to be done in the garden: hoeing, planting, caring, and weeding. Eventually, all of the work would dwindle, but it gave him time to think of another reason to get up in the morning.  
  
The garden was well on its way to a good plot when he was summoned to Akito. Every other time he had been summoned, he had come out of it hating Akito for the injuries he had suffered. This time, though, as he told Tohru after she had asked, he found he almost wanted to feel the bruises forming. It would hurt less than this.  
  
"Oh, Yuki! How horrible!" Tohru cried. "I hope Akito won't harm you this time!" Yuki only shrugged and tried to eat the now-bland food that Tohru had prepared. He had no taste for any food he had found these last few weeks; though he never told anyone, he was losing weight quickly. Tohru's food, though, had the least taste. It did not even taste bad: if she had burned it to a crisp he would not have tasted it.  
  
"I don't care," Yuki answered, his face hidden under his silver bangs.  
  
"Yuki, if there's a problem, you can talk to me, right?" Tohru said suddenly, leaning over the table. Yuki looked up at her. She really did not know how much she had ripped him apart. "We're still friends, right?"  
  
"Sure," he muttered, getting to his feet. He really did not care about how she took that. He had to get to Akito. Akito was waiting.  
  
Tohru looked at his retreating back, feeling betrayed. There was something wrong, but he never talked to her about it. She glanced down at the plate he had been eating from and quietly slipped it onto a scale. Silent tears started in her eyes to find that once again, he had not eaten enough for this sensitive scale to notice a difference in weight.  
  
__________________________  
  
Up in the dark room, Yuki waited, his head bowed low. Akito was there, but he had yet to say anything.  
  
"Yuki, my dear Yuki," Akito murmured all of a sudden. "She hurt you deeply, didn't she?"  
  
"Yes," Yuki muttered, his head still bowed.  
  
"You thought you loved her, and you thought she loved you back," Akito continued. Tears formed in Yuki's eyes. It was as if he could read his mind.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then you found out she loved another."  
  
"Yes." The tears slowly started down his face.  
  
"And you felt like your heart was ripped apart."  
  
"Yes," Yuki choked out. The tears were flowing freely now.  
  
"You wished you could die because her memory would not leave you."  
  
"Yes!" Yuki cried. Akito's long fingers curled around his chin and lifted Yuki's face to look him in the eye. Yuki was suddenly aware of pity in Akito's dark, deep eyes and he was comforted.  
  
"Would you like to have your memory erased of her?" Yuki closed his eyes and Akito's fingers tightened on his chin. "Yuki, my dear one, she has taken you from me. Let me take you back. You did not hurt this much before she came. Now that she is here, she has hurt you." Yuki opened his large indigo eyes to gaze into his dark eyes and found a fatherly love watching him carefully.  
  
"Yes." Akito smiled widely.  
  
"You will no longer feel that pain, Yuki."  
  
"I want her gone from my memory. I don't want to remember that I loved her. I do want to remember that she was here, and I want to remember who she is, but I don't want to remember my love for her."  
  
Akito nodded and released his chin only to kneel next to him and embrace Yuki gently. "Crying for your dead love is allowed," he murmured. Yuki nodded in response and then allowed the suppressed sobs to be let loose. Akito only wrapped his arms tight around Yuki and smiled. One down.  
  
_______________________  
  
THIS NOTE IS IMPORTANT!! MOST OF MY NOTES ARE!!! PLEASE READ AND CONSIDER!!!  
  
This is my first Fruits Basket fic. My friend got me stuck on this anime, even though I've not seen a page of manga and not a minute of anime. Yay!  
  
Don't be nice because of that, though! I hate it when people take pity on me! I take pity on others, but I dislike pity.  
  
So, I pose the question: Is Yuki really an uncle? Or is that a pet name? And who would be the father then? Guess and we'll see how the guessing works out.  
  
Um, you're supposed to review to guess. And say, if you don't feel like guessing, just review and tell me how much you *cough* LIKE or HATE my story.  
  
Thanks!  
  
~ Kay Kylo 


	2. The Niece

WOW! What a response! Two reviews!  
  
To the totally anonymous reviewer, thanks for LUVing my story. I'll update as quick as I can! I have to admit that you scared me though, when I read the very beginning of your review. I read that you did not like my fic and my heart nearly stopped. But I read the rest and it beat again. Thanx for keeping me going!  
  
To AllThatJaZZ: I'd love to make Tohru more personable, but it's from Yuki's sort of eyes, and everything seems distant now, and she has no clue of what he's feeling except for that he's not talking to her and he's retreated to his shell. She cares for him, but not in that way; she could have, but Kyo jumped before Yuki got to. And also, thanks for pointing out choppy sentences. I'll have to proof read everything.  
  
I'm sort of disappointed. No one tried to guess if Yuki was really an uncle or not. No one even guessed who the father was! If there was a father! Well, it's too late for guessing now. The first chapter was the introduction. Here comes the new person...  
  
I FORGOT DISCLAIMER ON THE FIRST CHAPTER, so this one counts for that chapter too. Don't own Fruits Basket.  
  
I'm going to give thanks to my friend Bazmoon, who kept me going when I was starting this. Thanks so much!  
  
I know she may never get that, but I can pretend.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
Namarie!  
  
______________________  
  
Tohru nearly shouted for joy. Yuki was back out from Akito, and he did not look injured in any way. Akito had managed to restrain his hand. She dashed up to him as he entered the house, about to ask him what it was about when a drawn, haggard face appeared behind Yuki. Hatori. His face was saddened as he looked at Yuki and Tohru, back and forth, and Tohru knew something had happened that included her, whether she was present or not.  
  
"Sohma-kun?" Tohru pleaded. Yuki looked up at her, but with the dead, empty eyes that he had first shown her before he had met her. She gasped and backed up into Kyo, who had come out of the kitchen after her. Yuki looked at Kyo devoid of expression and then looked back at Tohru.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"Of course," Yuki answered sarcastically. With that, he stalked out of the house, brushing past Ayame and Shigure, as he had always done.  
  
Yuki did not know exactly where he was going. Though that girl, Tohru, that is right, that girl was familiar to him, for some reason he was sad, upset, torn apart. Whatever it was, it made him feel even more drawn-in than usual. Why did he feel sad around this girl? Maybe it was because she was more than friends with Kyo. Pity the child that liked Kyo that baka neko.  
  
Of course, that had to be it.  
  
Yuki suddenly found himself in a garden. For a moment, he did not remember it, but now he knew it. It was his new garden. Well, since he was here, he might as well work on it. Slowly, he got down on his knees and weeded through some flowers to find a beautiful yellow one. How pretty. It was blooming early too.  
  
Suddenly, Yuki heard a sound that sounded much like a city person's gait on an unfamiliar forest path. He sighed and got to his feet, intent on driving this person away before they got too close to the house.  
  
He found his way to the path by sound alone and stepped into the middle of it. There was a young girl about Tohru's age, therefore making her about his age. She had a map in hand and a couple other papers.  
  
"So, I took a right in Tokyo and now I am," the girl paused and looked up triumphantly. "I don't see a house though." The girl's eyes settled on Yuki and she smiled. "Hello! I'm looking for someone."  
  
"I'm afraid they are not this way," Yuki answered, waving his hand up the path to indicate which way he meant. The girl glared at him suspiciously.  
  
"You're dressed too nice to come this far up and not get scratched some," she snapped. "That means you've come from some place in this woods, and I think you know who I'm looking for."  
  
Yuki, though he hid it well, was quite impressed by her intuition. "Who are you looking for?" he asked calmly. The girl blushed and pulled a mangled photograph from her back pocket of her jeans.  
  
"This man," she said, pointing to a young man in the picture. Yuki took one look and groaned. The man was more than familiar; Yuki was ready to strangle said person in the picture.  
  
"Ayame!" he muttered angrily. "You've got some explaining to do!" Without another word, he grabbed her hand and dragged her along the path with her calling out wildly to slow down. But Yuki was too upset to even let her explain herself.  
  
Yuki burst into the house and promptly screamed out Ayame's name. There was an answering call and soon Ayame appeared, followed by several other members of the Sohma household, interested in the anger in Yuki's tone.  
  
"Oh, Yuki! What have you brought to us now? Another little flower?" Ayame asked, his face gently suggestive to the girl. The girl was unperturbed and walked right up to him and said the two words that would change Ayame's life forever.  
  
"Hello Dad."  
  
_________________________  
  
AUGH! THE HORROR!!  
  
Yeah. Yuki's really an uncle, or at least as this girl claims, and Ayame's a father! I bet you all thought it was going to be Shigure! Well, it's not! I feel so sorry for that girl. Imagine for a moment Ayame as your father.  
  
Yeah. I cringe at the thought.  
  
Um, little point I should have mentioned before: I don't know Ayame's age. I only know that he's Yuki's older brother, but I don't know how much older. So, in this fic, he is about twice Yuki's age. DO NOT REVIEW AND COMPLAIN ABOUT MY IDIOCY!!! I KNOW I put my personal knowledge rating on the first chapter: really close to nil. I have a friend who tells me about it and I've read fics on FF.net, but that's it!  
  
BUT IF YOU WISH TO SAY HOW HORRIBLE MY CHOICE OF FATHER IS, TELL ME!!!!!! That is the only kind of flame I will accept.  
  
Any praise is welcome, as it will help accomplish my goal of floating the moon with a praise-bloated head. (Not really, but I can dream, can I not?)  
  
Namarie, mellon nin!  
  
~ Kay Kylo 


	3. The Depression

I have replaced the first two chapters by the time you are reading these messages, I hope. I have now been told what I've been doing wrong. And I have Kiena to thank for it!  
  
Kiena: I'd love to stop writing this story and wait, but I have no way of finding more about this anime, and I've finished it. I sent it to my friend who is a huge FB freak, and she thinks it's okay, so I'll just hope it's fine. Can I count on you to tell me my mistakes and help me out with the characters? If it isn't too much of a change, I'll change it all. I'd love for you help me. And thanks for helping me with the symbols.  
  
Frozen tears: Thanks for thinking the symbols are amusing, but they are hard to read around, which is why I've changed them all. And thanks for the ages! Though, Ayame has to be older than that in this fic, unfortunately. *Sigh*  
  
R Junkie: Tohru doesn't show up much, which is her punishment. And his confusion is explained in later chapters. Since Hatori had trouble erasing Yuki's memory of his love for her, Hatori had to erase a bit more than what Yuki asked. Which is why he's somewhat confused. (That part is not mentioned, but. . . ) But one can never forget love entirely, which comes up later.  
  
So, thanks! I now have five reviews! And I'll get around to your accounts sooner or later. If I don't come soon, track me down.  
  
Let's recap: Yuki's mind has been erased, and Ayame just had the biggest shock of his life. Sounds fun.  
  
Disfruta! (Enjoy, in Spanish. Don't know it in Japanese.)  
  
___________________________  
  
Last time:  
  
"Oh, Yuki! What have you brought to us now? Another little flower?" Ayame asked, his face gently suggestive to the girl. The girl was unperturbed and walked right up to him and said the two words that would change Ayame's life forever.  
  
"Hello Dad."  
  
___________________________  
  
There were collective gasps of shock as Ayame keeled over in a dead faint. None was more surprised than Yuki. He stared at her for a moment. This girl was his niece, even though she was his age. Or, at least she said she was his niece.  
  
"How can you prove it?" Yuki asked, trying his hardest to keep his voice emotionless. The girl smiled and pointed to the picture.  
  
"That's my mom," she said, pointing to the young woman that was standing right next to Ayame's younger form. "And this is my birth certificate," she added, pulling out a paper and handing it to Yuki.  
  
"Morikawa Sakura," Yuki read. "It has no father name."  
  
"Yep. Dad had left by then, and Morikawa is my mother's maiden name. This may help prove it for you," Sakura said, pulling out a mangled scrap of paper. "My father left this for my mother, so that she could go join him eventually. Mother never did get around to it."  
  
Yuki read the paper and found with a touch of disgust that it gave explicit directions to the Sohma house. Even worse, it was written in Ayame's handwriting. So it was true. Every word of it. Well, he might as well get to at least get to know his niece's face.  
  
She was a beautiful girl. Even the memory that she was his niece did not deter that thought. Her eyes were quite beautiful, being the same color blue as the sky when the moon has just risen over the eastern horizon at night. Her hair was the same color as Yuki's, silver and long, hanging to her waist in long, straight strands. She was well formed in face and body, which only made Yuki more protective of her, especially around Shigure. Her skin had a pale olive complexion and her dark eyes were slightly narrowed naturally. Her body had a natural grace about it.  
  
"So, you are the child of my brother," Yuki thought aloud. Sakura looked at him in surprise.  
  
"He's your brother?" Sakura asked. Yuki nodded silently. "Then that would make you my uncle." Yuki thought for a moment. Yes, he would be an uncle to her. Somehow, that sounded so wrong and yet, so right. She was his age, and he was her uncle.  
  
Slowly, Ayame came around and awoke murmuring a name: Rei. Sakura quickly explained that was her mother's name, and before long, Ayame was fully awake, looking at Sakura in surprise.  
  
"You are Rei's daughter?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Morikawa Rei?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You beautiful, wonderful child!" Ayame cried out joyfully, sitting up and hugging her tightly. Yuki waited patiently for the little cloud to come up, but there was no snake. There was no transformation.  
  
She now was beyond a doubt one of the Sohma line.  
  
"What is this?"  
  
The joyful reunion was still instantly as Ayame hurriedly got to his feet. Akito, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, stood in the doorway, staring angrily at the newcomer and at the two brothers that stood protectively by her.  
  
"Akito," Ayame said, his voice reverent. "I am sorry. Let me introduce to you, my daughter, Morikawa Sakura." Akito's eyes fell on Sakura and he drank in her sight as she bowed low before him.  
  
"'I see." With that, Akito was gone. Yuki felt his fists clench against his will; there was something in Akito's eyes that made him angry. What had that emotion been? Yuki had never seen it in Akito before, and he was worried because of it.  
  
"Oh, Tohru-kun, could you find a room for Sakura-chan?" Ayame asked, seeming to have not noticed the look in Akito's eyes. "Sakura, what other baggage do you have with you?" Sakura blinked openly at him and patted the backpack on her back.  
  
"Only this. I had to sell Mom's stuff to get a ticket this far," Sakura answered. "There was one thing that I did save for you." She flipped the backpack onto the ground and dug into the pack, which seemed to be mostly filled with food and clothing. Suddenly, she pulled out a wooden object, which Yuki suddenly recognized as a cobra, ready to strike. "Mother said she started it after you left, and she thought you might find it comical." Ayame chuckled lightly and took the wooden effigy.  
  
"I think I'll enjoy it," he said. "It's a perfect paper weight!" Yuki watched as Tohru joyfully led the new girl up the stairs to find her a room.  
  
"Ayame, tell me about this Morikawa Rei," Yuki commanded.  
  
"Distant, distant relative of Akito's," Ayame answered cheerfully. "She has Sohma blood."  
  
"And you met her by pure luck?"  
  
"Yep. Pure luck, but it was in Tokyo, which makes it even more lucky."  
  
"And you had a daughter by her?"  
  
Ayame blushed. "It was wrong, I know, but I was going to marry her, but then Akito called me back here, and now, Rei died."  
  
"Sakura's mother died?"  
  
"Supposedly, she was in a hit-and-run accident. I thought I had lost her daughter as well," Ayame murmured, his voice suddenly filled with pain. "No, my daughter. So it was quite a shock to see her again."  
  
"When?"  
  
Ayame blinked for a moment, confused at his question, but guessed at what he meant. "Rei died a few months back."  
  
Yuki caught the slight pain that was slipping into his voice and decided to step off that topic. "Did you see what was in her backpack?"  
  
"She had only the essentials," Ayame answered gravely. "We'll need to get her some stuff. So, how does it feel to be an uncle?"  
  
Yuki nearly let a smile cross his face, but he allowed his eyes to smile widely. "There isn't a difference." Ayame smiled to him and shook his head.  
  
"Just you wait, Yuki, my dearest brother," Ayame said, his voice reprimanding, "you'll find a very large difference, I know. I find a huge difference in being a long-distance father and a near father, and my pocket book has yet to feel a difference. You'll feel the difference before long."  
  
_____________________  
  
All of his joy of having someone new related to him in the household disappeared in a day. His niece that he hoped to find solace in quickly found a fast friend in Tohru, and it aggravated him. He could not find any good reason that it aggravated him, but he found his necessary consolation in his new garden.  
  
And then, he found that his appetite was dropping even more.  
  
He was losing to this unshakable depression.  
  
Days passed, and he fought the depression with all his might, forcing some food into his body, forcing himself to sleep, forcing himself to rise each morning. There was no change, though, in the direction his body was going.  
  
So, he refused to let anyone touch him. If they did, they might see his thin body, and he would not want anyone to worry about him. He could beat this, but he would like to be without anyone watching over his shoulder.  
  
Then it happened: the one event that probably might have saved his life, though he did not know it at the moment. Sakura and Tohru had been running around the Sohma house and Sakura had barreled into him, knocking him over completely.  
  
"Oh, Yuki! I am so sorry Uncle!" Sakura cried, but her voice was distant. Slowly, Yuki sat up. His head had slammed the ground very hard, and now was ringing. She was still sitting on him, staring at her legs that were straddled around his waist. Suddenly, she looked up at him and her eyes were wide with disbelief. She scrambled off of him as he gave her a stern glare and he stomped away, missing the saddened look in her eyes.  
  
He had worked himself into a nice rage when he reached his garden and began to weed the unruly plants that insisted on taking root in his plot. That girl had gotten past his defenses again. She had found out his weakness, with that annoying girl that saddened him with a glance near by. How could he have been knocked over so easily?  
  
"Uncle Yuki?"  
  
Yuki glanced over his shoulder. Sakura stood behind him, holding something. Slowly, he turned his head further and in her hands was the little yellow flower he had found that same day she had shown up. It was wilting already and Yuki felt a little guilty. He had cared for that plant lovingly, but he had now just ripped it from the ground.  
  
He had definitely been in a rage.  
  
"What is it, Sakura-kun?" he murmured, turning his back on her, taking more care on what plants he was pulling out. There was a small sigh behind him and then Sakura was at his side, pulling out weeds that he had not gotten to.  
  
"How much do you eat a day, Uncle?" Sakura asked, her eyes cast upon the plants. Yuki glanced at her and continued his work.  
  
"Enough."  
  
"What do you weigh then?"  
  
Yuki glared at his hands. He could not lie to his niece, but he could not ignore that question. "Usually?"  
  
"Right now."  
  
Darn it. He could not get out of it. "Forty five kilograms," Yuki mumbled. *(107 lbs. If my calculations are correct)*  
  
Sakura did nothing at first and Yuki thought his fears were unfounded. Maybe she would ignore it.  
  
"Uncle Yuki, is that healthy in a man of your height?"  
  
Yuki did not know and he did not care. At the moment, he found the title name now annoying. "Sakura, can I ask you a favor?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't call me Uncle."  
  
That statement may have hurt Sakura, but she did not show it. "Can I ask why?"  
  
"I don't like it. I'd rather not be an uncle to you," Yuki muttered. She was too much of his age to be called her uncle. It made him seem old. Unfortunately, it did hurt Sakura. He could see it in her eyes. "It makes me feel old."  
  
Sakura smiled quietly. "Why are you so thin, Yuki?"  
  
"I am always thin," Yuki shot back.  
  
"Thin in a normal way, yes, but this is just not normal. I can wrap my arms around your waist and my elbows touch. You are wearing baggy clothing; Father said it was unusual of you. You don't speak to many people, and you sleep a lot. You seem devoid of emotions except for anger and fear. You have no interest in anything, and I and Tohru-kun have noticed you are not eating," Sakura answered, her voice tired and strained as if her patience was wearing thin. "Those are obvious signs of depression."  
  
"I can handle it," Yuki snapped.  
  
"No, you cannot. I know you cannot help yourself," Sakura interrupted, her voice now thin and plaintive. "I watched my mother dwindle away and I watched her throw herself in front of a car because of the strains of raising a tomboy on her own. I watched her plead with the driver to keep going, and I watched her pay him to keep him moving. And now that I found my family, I am not going to watch another family member, whether he loves me or not, dwindle away until they disappear beneath the wheels of a car." Throughout her speech, her voice had grown in power until it was commanding, but not louder than a murmur. If she would have said anything else, Yuki was sure he would have lost it. The power in her voice reminded him of Akito too much. She could easily hypnotize people with her voice alone and influence minds easily with the power in her voice.  
  
Yuki glanced at her, not surprised to see that her face was hidden beneath an emotional mask and her bangs. He turned to the plants and pulled a weed out by its roots. "I'm sorry," he murmured.  
  
"It's okay," she answered before she grabbed a small plant and ripped it out of the ground and proceeded to rip the tender leaves apart. "You know, I never told anyone about that before. Not even the lawyer attempting to convict the man whose car my mom killed herself with. Not even my father."  
  
Yuki attempted to smile comfortingly at her pleading look. "I'm glad you told me." And he was. Silence settled down upon them as they continued weeding together.  
  
________________________  
  
So there we go. We have Sakura's past revealed, and I suddenly feel very sorry for her.  
  
Just thought I'd put in a piece of the next chapter. Just a tantalizing taste.  
  
________________________  
  
"Sohma-sama?"  
  
Yuki looked up and smiled at the manager of the hair salon. "Yes?"  
  
"I think I should warn you before Sakura comes in. You might have a heart attack," the manager said, the smile on his face soft.  
  
________________________  
  
Um, nothing to say, nothing to warn about. See y'all later.  
  
Namarie!  
  
~ Kay Kylo 


	4. The Song

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!  
  
Um, to R Junkie, thanks! (Blush) I feel like an idiot. I knew my calculations had been wrong, I just wasn't sure how. I'm fixing it now! Okay, it's fixed. THANKS SO MUCH!!  
  
Misaki the Assassin: Thanks for liking my story. The emotion was probably lust if anything. Not love. I don't believe in love at first sight. Probably a little bit of curiosity and dislike to add to it. I really didn't know at the beginning, but it's brought up again, but it doesn't have anything to do with it.  
  
Warnings: SPICY FOOD!!! (j/k) Emotionally painful music and big words. Need I say more?  
  
We get to see Sakura and her impression of her father's clan leader. YEAH!! This is an airier chapter (basically, it has little stuff that actually happens) but it is filled with bonding time. And we get to meet more of Sakura. She's full of surprises.  
  
So, enjoy!  
  
__________________________  
  
Yuki just wanted to sleep. This day was the worst of all; he could feel it in his bones. Today it was going to be bad. Might as well stay in bed.  
  
"Hey, Yuki! Wake up!"  
  
He groaned and turned over. He was not, let me repeat it, he was NOT going to get up. There was no way under the sky that would get him up. Suddenly, the blankets were ripped from his body and water poured on his face. Except, maybe, for that.  
  
He jumped up, water streaming from his hair to mix with his bed sheets. Angrily, he looked around his room for the culprit, but there was no one in his room. Grumbling, he stood up and proceeded to wring the water out of his hair. He would have taken a shower anyway; he did not need one while he was in bed.  
  
The door of his room swung open and Sakura danced into the room on light feet. She carried in her hands a large bowl of water that sloshed threateningly. She smiled at him. "Good, you're up." She stepped toward him and suddenly tripped over a rug in his room and the bowl went flying.  
  
Darn that girl. She had planned to trip! Especially since he did not have a rug on that spot of his floor! In seconds, he was drenched from head to toe. Sakura stood, one hand raised innocently to her lips as she struggled to prevent a smile from rising to her lips.  
  
"Well, at least you won't have to bathe today," Sakura finally said, her smile finally under control. "I made breakfast, if you want it."  
  
"Tohru-dono didn't want to?"  
  
"I didn't let her. She's sleeping in now."  
  
Yuki raised an eyebrow before he grabbed a towel. "So, what did you make?"  
  
At that precise moment, Kyo came running past the room screaming before he came back, his lips the same fiery red as his eyes. "What did you put in those eggs, witch?" Kyo screamed, his eyes glued on Sakura.  
  
"Only cyan pepper, Tabasco sauce, and some small jalapenos. It couldn't burn that much," Sakura said in defense of herself, but still bewildered. "Honestly, haven't you ever eaten spicy food?"  
  
"No!" Kyo shrieked. "How do you expect us to- Yuki? You're smiling!"  
  
Yuki was befuddled for a moment. He was not smiling, but no, he could feel it. The edges of his mouth were twisted upward slightly to create a curve of some sorts. He was smiling.  
  
It felt like ages had gone past since he had last smiled, and it felt good.  
  
"Yes, I am smiling baka neko. Why is that such a shock to you?"  
  
"Just don't eat the eggs! They'll kill you!"  
  
"Then I'll eat some. After all, it was my niece that made them."  
  
Kyo grumbled and then left the room, presumably to find some water. Yuki then went about taking off his soaking nightshirt. "Yuki?"  
  
"Yes Sakura?"  
  
"Can I ask a favor of you?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Don't call me your niece."  
  
Yuki looked up in surprise to see total seriousness in her eyes.  
  
"Why ever not?"  
  
"It makes me feel too young."  
  
Yuki smiled slightly and shook his head. "I deserve that, huh?"  
  
"Yep. Another favor."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Can we be friends instead of just relatives?"  
  
Yuki looked up at her and saw a light of hope in her eyes. Friends. That sounded good. "Of course, Sakura. That's the way it should be."  
  
_______________________  
  
Yet another day passed, and Yuki felt his body gaining weight already. The eggs actually had been extremely hot, but he found the burning sensation to be pleasant. What surprised him, though, was that he could taste the food. For the first time since he did not know when food was not bland.  
  
Ayame was not being the best of fathers, though. Poor Sakura had poor excuses for shoes, and her hair was wild and too long for her likening. Finally, Yuki had asked Akito for permission to enter the town. After much promising that they would not leave the household, Yuki finally got the permission, and then, it was their day out as friends.  
  
Sakura was excited to go to the town, and Yuki felt like he did not want to let her down. Of course, he took the money they would spend from Ayame's pocketbook.  
  
In town, Yuki found that he was very glad that Sakura was with him. Especially since she was his age. None of his usual female admirers tried to talk to him. Actually, many girls gave Sakura jealous glares, but many of the boys gave him jealous glares as well. It was quite nice to be free of them, but also, it was irritating to see some of the looks that the boys gave Sakura.  
  
"Yuki, why are they looking at me that way?"  
  
Yuki could not hide the smile that crossed his face, however slight. "Because they have never seen such a beautiful girl before." Sakura blushed and grabbed his arm, punching him lightly.  
  
"Don't butter me up," she snapped.  
  
"It's true," Yuki insisted. He glanced at her and decided that her outfit added to it. Ayame had actually made a good design this time. The tank top fit well with her body and coloring. Her pants were baggy and long, hiding her legs modestly. These too were well coordinated. There was a delicate design of a dragon in stitching that ran up and down both articles of clothing. "The outfit helps out."  
  
Sakura looked down at herself and shook her head. "I prefer jeans, baggy boys' jeans, and long, baggy shirts."  
  
"What ever for?"  
  
"I like to hide myself," Sakura muttered. "I would have preferred to be named Kazou or something."  
  
"But that is a boy's name!" Yuki protested.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
Yuki decided that following that topic of conversation would end up in a headache, so he backed off. "So, what were you planning to cut your hair to? A trim? Shoulder-blade?"  
  
"Chin-length, or shorter," Sakura answered quickly.  
  
Yuki once again asked why in protest. She only gave him a quick glare. "Same reason I like jeans, baggy shirts, and male names."  
  
Finally, Yuki understood. "Ah, a tomboy, huh?"  
  
"I told you, my mother had the strain of raising a tomboy. You didn't catch it?"  
  
"I was more entranced with the story of what happened to your mother."  
  
Sakura softened her gaze and nodded her understanding. "I'm sorry that I burdened you with her memory."  
  
Yuki was about to say that it was quite all right, but he kept his mouth shut. No other words passed between them of any meaning.  
  
__________________________  
  
"Sohma-sama?"  
  
Yuki looked up and smiled at the manager of the hair salon. "Yes?"  
  
"I think I should warn you before Sakura comes in. You might have a heart attack," the manager said, the smile on his face soft. Yuki blinked wildly at this warning and then saw Sakura approach from behind. He nearly let his jaw drop, but he caught himself.  
  
Her silver hair was shorter than his was; it was a bob cut that reached to just above her chin with light layering. The pesky wild split ends had disappeared. She looked nothing like the girl he had led into the salon. If anything, she looked more mature, looking years older and he nearly reconsidered his assumption of her age, but her birth certificate had confirmed her age to be just younger than his.  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Do you like it?" Sakura asked. Yuki nodded, his smile coming back to his face.  
  
"So much for looking male, Sakura," he muttered before he paid the manager with Ayame's money and led her into the street. Sakura did not hear his comment and followed him to shop for shoes.  
  
Throughout his protests, she refused to get any dress shoes or any shoes that any teenage girl would prefer. Simple tennis shoes she demanded and simple tennis shoes were all that she would get.  
  
Yuki was happier that day than he had been in a long time. With a few hours left before Akito had insisted they return, Yuki let her wander and he simply followed her. He followed her like a bodyguard, and several men seemed to think that of him. Many people approached her, most males, and tried to initiate conversation. At this movement, he would move closer and give them a warning glare. When they took his presence in as a good thing, he relaxed. Any person who grew angry or upset with his presence immediately was warned away.  
  
"Oh, Yuki, look! Pianos!"  
  
Yuki glanced up and trotted on to catch up to Sakura. She was already opening up the door to a very large piano shop filled with every shape and size of pianos that existed. "Sakura, wait up!" She turned and stuck her tongue out at him playfully.  
  
"Oh, the old man is too tired to run a little," she teased and ducked into the store. Yuki nearly let his tongue reply, but those insults were reserved for that baka neko.  
  
Inside the air conditioning was too high and he shivered. If it started to snow in this store he would not be surprised. The shopkeeper looked up and smiled at the two potential customers.  
  
"Hello. May I help you, young lady?"  
  
"May I play these?"  
  
The shopkeeper looked stunned but he nodded. "Of course you can, Ma'am. Just try not to hit the keys too hard."  
  
"I know all about that," Sakura said, sitting down at the bench of a piano labeled as a "baby grand piano" and tested the keys gently. "Yuki? Can I play a song for you?"  
  
"Sakura, we need to be back by the sunset," Yuki protested. Anything to get out of the store. Sakura pouted prettily.  
  
"But it won't take too long, I promise!"  
  
"Akito said-"  
  
"Toodles to Akito. Let him talk, but I won't listen," Sakura snapped in reply. "I want to play you a song."  
  
Yuki, too cold to reply, nodded as he rubbed his hands up and down his arms, telling himself that he would need to talk to her about what she had said. Sakura placed her hands carefully, checked the pedal she was touching, and then slowly played.  
  
Yuki could not remember if he had ever heard a piano being used so masterfully. The song was haunting, plaintive, begging for mercy from something. Yuki found he could relate to the sadness echoing in the tune. But underneath the heart-wrenching sound was a softer undercurrent that was strong, hopeful, lifting. It sounded like a person pouring out their sadness but still retaining hope and courage to go on.  
  
How did she know to play that? It echoed in his mind, resounding long after the final note was touched and the pedal had cut off the hold. There was silence before the shopkeeper applauded wildly and the door opened as a young couple stepped in. Before Yuki knew what he was doing, he had Sakura by the arm and was outside.  
  
"Yuki?" Sakura asked, surprised.  
  
"It was too cold in there. Besides, we need to talk. You need to respect Akito, Sakura."  
  
"Why? He doesn't respect me; you saw the way he was looking at me."  
  
"He is our clan leader."  
  
"Two things Yuki: one, I am not a part of your clan. Two: bombast."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Bombast. Big pretty words that seem to mean a lot and in all actuality mean nothing at all," Sakura snapped. "He's been feeding you all bombast to get you to treat him like some deity or something."  
  
Yuki nearly collapsed. He knew he had said many things about Akito behind his back, but never did he speak about it so openly. He was so speechless that he grasped for words for a full minute before he said the only thing he could think of. "Sakura!"  
  
"You know it; don't deny it."  
  
"I'm going to do nothing but wonder about you," he replied. Where did she get this courage? Certainly not from Ayame.  
  
Sakura's narrow eyes widened slightly before she shook her head. "Men. They speak the same language, I'm sure, but they are impossible to understand."  
  
_________________________  
  
I always feel like that. I agree with Sakura beyond a doubt. I can never understand men, though I am certain they speak what language I speak . . .  
  
And that is the definition of bombast; it is a real word. And I truly believe that Akito is an evil man. EVIL!!!! EEEEEEEVIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!! I think he's Naraku's descendent. If you know Inuyasha, you know what I'm talking about.  
  
If you read my author's note, put "shark" in your review. It will help me know how many people read my notes. That's all! Thanks! Don't ask why it's shark. I don't know.  
  
That's all for now. Thanks for reading my story!!! ^_^!!!!!  
  
~ Kay Kylo 


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